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Visiting Stanford University Researcher Charged with VISA Fraud Defendant Allegedly Concealed Her Membership in Chinese Military
justice.gov ^ | July 20, 2020 | U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of California

Posted on 07/20/2020 8:11:37 PM PDT by ransomnote

SAN FRANCISCO – Song Chen has been charged in a criminal complaint with visa fraud in connection with a scheme to lie about her status as an active member of the People’s Republic of China’s military forces while in the United States conducting research at Stanford University, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John L. Bennett.  Song made her initial federal court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim this morning to face the charge. 

The allegations describing the crime appear in an affidavit supporting the complaint filed on July 17, 2020.  According to the affidavit, Song, 38, a Chinese national, entered the United States on December 23, 2018, using a J-1 non-immigrant visa.  Song obtained the J-1 visa, a document “for individuals approved to participate in work-and study-based exchange visitor programs,” with an application she submitted in November 2018.  In that application, Song stated that she had served in the Chinese military only from September 1, 2000, through June 30, 2011.  She further stated that her employer was “Xi Diaoyutai Hospital” located at “No. 30 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100142.”  Song described herself in her visa application as a neurologist who was coming to the U.S. to conduct research at Stanford University related to brain disease.

The affidavit alleges that these were lies, and that Song was a member of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the Chinese military, when she entered and while she was in the United States, and that the hospital she listed on her visa as her employer was a cover for her true employer, the PLA.  Specifically, the affidavit identifies four research articles that she co-authored.  These articles were identified on a resume that Song submitted to Stanford.  The versions of the articles available via open sources on the Internet show her as affiliated with institutions subordinate to the PLA Air Force.  Specifically, the articles list Song as affiliated with the Air Force General Hospital in Beijing and the Fourth Military Medical University (FMMU), a PLA Air Force university in Xi’an.  In addition, as of July 13, 2020, a Chinese health care website listed Song as an attending physician of the Department of Neurology of the PLA Air Force General Hospital, a hospital that shared an address with the “Xi Diaoyutai Hospital” listed on her visa application.  The listing allegedly included a photograph of Song wearing what appears to be a military uniform.  Further, an article published in 2015 identifies Song as the doctor at the PLA Air Force hospital who performed the autopsy on the former chief physician of the MRI Department at the hospital. 

Finally, according to the affidavit, a search of Song’s external hard drive, recovered pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, found that, on June 21, 2020, Song had deleted a folder titled, in Chinese, “2018 Visiting School Important Information.”  The search recovered deleted documents from this folder.  The affidavit alleges that one of the recovered documents was a letter from Song to the Chinese Consulate in New York, which explained that she was extending her time in the United States for another year, and wrote that her stated employer, Beijing Xi Diaoyutai Hospital, is a false front, and that, as a result, she had obtained approval for her extension from the PLA Air Force and FMMU.  The letter further allegedly explained that, as these Chinese military approval documents were classified, she could not transmit them online.

Song was charged with obtaining a visa by material false statements, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a). 

The complaint merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and Song, like all defendants, is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, she faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  In addition, the court may order additional terms of supervised release.  However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Song’s next appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, 2020, before Magistrate Judge Kim for further proceedings regarding detention.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office of the U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California’s Special Prosecutions Section and is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

Attachment(s): 
Topic(s): 
Immigration
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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: 202006; 202007; china; chineseairforce; chineseconsulate; chinesemilitary; j1; neurologist; pla; plaaf; prc; sanfrancisco; songchen; spies; spooks; stanford; workvisa

1 posted on 07/20/2020 8:11:37 PM PDT by ransomnote
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To: ransomnote

We may as well assume at this point that all Chinese students are government agents and ban them from our campuses.


2 posted on 07/20/2020 8:13:41 PM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizens Are Born Here of Citizen Parents|Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: ransomnote

The number of visas issued needs to be cut WAY back so that each application can be given thorough scrutiny.


3 posted on 07/20/2020 8:16:07 PM PDT by NobleFree ("law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual")
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To: Lurkinanloomin

its not an assumption

they mostl likely all are.

you dont get out of china if you are not good with the ccp. they routinely have students spy for them as part of the deal socthey can go abroad.

its been well known since the 1990s and probably before that.


4 posted on 07/20/2020 8:32:44 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Lurkinanloomin

Banning all Chinese foreign exchange students would be a great way to Defund the Academy.


5 posted on 07/20/2020 8:34:35 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: Lurkinanloomin

We need to assume that all Chinese nationals that are allowed to come to our country by the CCP are agents. Ban them all.


6 posted on 07/20/2020 8:35:13 PM PDT by lakecumberlandvet (Appeasement never works.)
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To: Secret Agent Man

I wonder if it ever happened that one of these Chinese exchange students ended up in an economics course and got into an argument with one of the professors about what Marx really thought on a particular topic.


7 posted on 07/20/2020 8:36:29 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: who_would_fardels_bear

nope

most dont come for business degrees

all over the engineering and science areas

they were when i was in engineering


8 posted on 07/20/2020 8:38:56 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: ransomnote

I hope she’s convicted and sent back to China.

And take a closer look at other Chinese students.


9 posted on 07/20/2020 8:39:10 PM PDT by proud American in Canada (In these trying times, "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!")
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To: Secret Agent Man

I was in engineering and had to take a few “breadth” courses so I could imagine them taking an econ course rather than feminist or black studies.


10 posted on 07/20/2020 8:43:23 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: ransomnote

This woman should be executed. Entry from China must be stopped now and permanently.


11 posted on 07/20/2020 8:44:23 PM PDT by jocon307 (Dem party delenda est!)
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To: proud American in Canada

She claims to be a neurologist. I’m sure she is very supportive of organ donation. Perhaps we could shorten her sentence if she decided to “give the gift of life”.


12 posted on 07/20/2020 8:44:29 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: proud American in Canada
When I was in grad school there were Chinese students from the mainland and from Taiwan. The Taiwanese were well-dressed, respectful, could speak fluent English, and regularly mixed with the college population at large.

The mainland Chinese kept to themselves, spoke broken English at best, and were desperately poor. They had to cook all their own meals to save money, and they washed what few clothes they had by wearing them when they took showers.

13 posted on 07/20/2020 8:47:20 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: ransomnote

Did she have a few gallons of covid on her?


14 posted on 07/20/2020 8:49:14 PM PDT by GOPJ (Leo Terrell - Michael Shellenberger - Stephen Hsu - Bari Weiss - TRUTH: the new HATE SPEECH)
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To: ransomnote

Let’s sing a sad song for Song, such as “Folsom Prison Blues”.


15 posted on 07/20/2020 9:53:41 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: ransomnote

Thanx for all your posts on charges & convictions that we would never see or hear on MSM


16 posted on 07/21/2020 3:05:58 AM PDT by thinden
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To: who_would_fardels_bear

Yes, but er brain is Abby Normal.


17 posted on 07/21/2020 3:13:02 AM PDT by Cvengr ( Adversity in life & death is inevitable; Stress is optional through faith in Christ.)
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